Endless Ocean: Escape Starting from a Canoe

Chapter 13 A Life of Wandering, Never Meeting a Wise Ruler

Shi Ming ate this meal with great satisfaction. It was the only meal he could barely call normal since he was reborn into this world, much better than dry, hard steamed buns or compressed biscuits.

If I become a captain in the future, I'm sure the food will be even better.

Unfortunately, the only regret was that when he reached for the can of beef with his chopsticks for the third time, he found that it was already empty.

There wasn't a single piece of beef left, only thick broth. Looking closer, the bald man next to him was eating with his mouth full of oil, his cheeks bulging like balloons.

It's probably a reincarnation of a starving ghost.

After a sumptuous meal, the thirty-minute preparation time had passed. The sailor at the helm increased the power, and the drifting ship quickly sailed towards the new island. Standing on the deck, Shi Ming witnessed the speed of this drifting ship for the first time—it was much faster than the small boat that carried them back and forth to the island.

It's unclear what drives it.

It truly lives up to its reputation as one of the 100001 drifting ships built with the world's most advanced technology and a do-or-die spirit.

Before landing on the island, the captain had assigned tasks to most of the crew, dividing them into three teams.

First, the hunting team.

The hunting party is led by the captain himself, with First Officer Trium as the deputy leader, plus 15 members of the exploration team and the guide "Scarface". They will go to the westernmost part of the island that Scarface mentioned, put on gas masks, and hunt down the so-called "mother insect" with poison gas bombs.

Secondly, the exploration team.

The exploration team, still led by Captain "Iron Tower," consisted of most of the team, totaling 20 people, plus Shi Ming, who had drawn up the resource distribution map. They were responsible for the physical labor, scavenging and transporting resources from the island, especially essential items like fruit, minerals, and timber for the drifting ship. It was crucial that the exploration team's operations be conducted discreetly, avoiding any significant disturbances.

Thirdly, the logistics team.

Composed of five exploration team members, crew members remaining on the drifting ship, and the rest of the slaves, their primary duties were to ensure logistics, prevent emergencies, and guard the base camp.

Each of the three teams had its own task, and the moment the drifting boat docked, they quickly got to work like worker ants.

"Your map is really well drawn, with a clear structure. Have you studied any related cartographic techniques?"

Captain Iron Tower looked at the resource distribution map in his hand and asked Shi Ming a question.

"The captain also knows a little bit about it."

Shi Ming said modestly.

Just kidding. Drawing and analyzing maps is one of his basic skills. Many times, he needs to judge the intelligence for carrying out the mission based on a tattered or unclear map. The more he looks at them, the more naturally he can do it.

"This ore deposit is the closest, so it's our first target."

"Yes."

Originally, Shi Ming was also a little puzzled. How could there be minerals on the turtle's back? Could it really be an island? But when he passed by again later, he studied it for a long time before discovering that the place was still a wound on the Xuanwu turtle's back. Body fluids seeped out from the wound, and the soil reacted to form a crystal.

This Xuanwu, I don't know what it went through before it fell into a deep sleep, that left it covered in injuries.

As for whether this crystal can be used as ore, Shi Ming didn't know.

But he didn't care about any of that; what he cared about was how to get away on his own.

Calculating the time, after walking for about 32 minutes, Shi Ming and Tie Ta saw dark crystals shimmering in the distance.

They quickened their pace.

The exploration team followed closely behind. "What's this? Blood Crystal!!!"

"It's a blood crystal! This is a huge haul!"

As the iron tower approached the mine, before it could even examine it closely, it discerned the true nature of the dark crystal and was overjoyed.

This is a crystal formed from the blood of a powerful sea beast. It is extremely rare, comparable to the essence of a sea beast.

A single Blood Crystal can fetch up to 100 Naval Coins!
"Great! Maybe our harvest will be even greater than the captain's!"

Looking at the glittering blood crystals before him, Iron Tower suppressed his excitement and gave the order to begin excavation!

About thirty minutes later, all fifteen bamboo baskets carried by the exploration team were filled. The glittering blood crystals were even more dazzling than gold, shimmering with a captivating light in the sunlight.

"You fourteen, come with me to carry the blood crystals back to the drifting ship. The rest of you, continue digging!"

"Shi Ming, you stay here! When we get back, I will submit an application to the captain to officially make you a member of the exploration team."

"Your subordinate will do his utmost!"

Shi Ming displayed exceptional loyalty.

His eyes even revealed his deepest gratitude and joy for the captain's "kindness in recognizing his talent." He even wanted to say, "Ming, I have wandered for half my life without meeting a wise leader, but I will never let the captain down!"

But I'm worried the captain won't understand.

After all, it's normal for people in this era of wandering to be unaware of certain internet memes!
Mining blood crystals doesn't require much manpower, but transporting them requires fifteen people—fourteen team members, including the team leader Tie Da—to carry the blood crystal baskets back to the drifting ship.

At this moment, only seven crew members remained at the mining site.

Shi Ming silently continued mining. After the group had been gone for nearly twenty minutes, he suddenly attacked, drawing the cold weapon, a horizontal sword, which was a reward from the system. He knocked down the two exploration team members beside him, then switched weapons and took out a Type 92B-2037 pistol with a silencer.

The moment he gripped the pistol, it was as if he had returned to the body and role of his previous life.

The bullets were accurate and deadly.

This is not the time for mercy.

He didn't waste much time. He casually collected the large pile of blood crystals he had dug up and headed towards the crack deep inside the island.

He had limited time; he had to reach the crevice on Turtle Island before the captain returned, detonate the bomb, and awaken the sleeping moths.

If something unexpected happens during the process, his margin for error will become extremely low!

Fortunately, because he was very familiar with the route, Shi Ming arrived at the crevice after nineteen minutes.

He has an extremely high sensitivity to time. When he is completely focused, his accuracy in calculating time is comparable to that of a stopwatch. At this moment, he estimates that the exploration team, carrying large baskets of blood crystals, should have just arrived at the drifting ship and begun unloading.

He took out the bottle of "mimicry powder" given to him by the bald man from the system's inventory, pried open the cap of the vial, and applied the powdery substance to his body.

To prevent any accidents, he had prepared a burrow in advance to avoid attacks from the bloodthirsty moths, with a cover made of sturdy branches above it.

After everything was ready, he took out the bomb's detonator and gently pressed the red detonation button.

Bang!
The Doomsday Bomb exploded in the crack.

(End of this chapter)